ALEKS has been a wonderful opportunity, especially for one of my fifth grade students who is passionate about math. He was often bored in class because he would move through the material at a much quicker pace than his classmates. Now when he finishes his work, he is allowed to use ALEKS, and he loves it. His achievement rose on the Iowa Assessment and the Skills Iowa assessments.

Scenario

What challenges did the class or school face in math prior to using ALEKS? All students were doing the same thing, no matter their ability.

How many days per week is class time dedicated to ALEKS? 4 days per week.

What is the average length of a class period when ALEKS is used? 30 minutes.

Implementation

How do you implement ALEKS? Students use ALEKS in the regular classroom as enrichment.

Do you cover ALEKS concepts in a particular order? No.

How do you structure your class period with ALEKS? Students have the opportunity to use ALEKS when they finish their regular work.

How did you modify your regular teaching approach as a result of ALEKS? The teaching of the regular classroom teacher was not modified.

How often are students required or encouraged to work on ALEKS at home? One hour per week.

How do you cultivate parental involvement and support for ALEKS? We send home a letter telling parents about this opportunity.

Grading

Is ALEKS assigned to your students as all or part of their homework responsibilities? If so, what part of the total homework load is it? No.

How do you incorporate ALEKS into your grading system? It is enrichment; there is no grade.

Do you require students to make regular amounts of progress in ALEKS? No.

Learning Outcomes

Since using ALEKS, please describe the learning outcomes or progress you have seen. My fifth grade student who is passionate about math loves ALEKS. His achievement rose on the Iowa Assessment and the Skills Iowa assessments.

Best Practices

Are there any best practices you would like to share with other teachers implementing ALEKS? It has worked wonderfully with gifted students who want to learn more than what the regular curriculum provides.